what's so special about this room?

to celebrate my favorite and my best decoratorfriend nick olsen's project gracing the cover of this month's world of interiors, let's dissect another of his fabulous rooms, featured in veranda.  nick describes the room: "There can't be too much matching going on," he says. "Across the room, I put a tomato-red French chair next to an oxblood porcelain garden seat, and you might say, hmmm—that's a little off. Well, there has to be something a little off in a room or it will look over-decorated".

yes, he's a little off.  isn't it just right?

 1: those yellow lacquered walls?  have you ever?  i can tell you for sure- i haven't.  probably won't ever get the opportunity to.  yellow is probably my least favorite color, but here, with this sophisticated yet punchy palette, it sings!

 2: that unexpected mix of pillows.  from the global stripe, to kelly wearstler's retro geo print, with a smack of granny floral, it's the perfect combo that's full of flavor and charm

 3: huge abstract paint and white painting.  i wouldn't put it past nick to have done this himself.  it's either that, or something way more expensive than i care to know.  what's the difference?  it adds a striking sharp contrast to the fussy furnishings below and creates just enough tension to keep things interesting

 4: a velvet covered sectional.  how decadent!  how functional!  it's perfect for this space.  it keeps the whole scheme grounded in reality - people do live here and they need to sit somewhere comfy to enjoy these beautiful things surrounding them.

 5: leopard print carpet, oh why not?  just toss that in there as well.  the small scale print keeps the room feeling busy and layered, but isn't too loud to throw things off.  i love how it provides a little glam to the  masculine lines of the big sofa.

 6: this room is not only beautiful, but it's functional.  the console behind the sofa works as a resting spot for drinks, a home for extra lighting, and adds a bit of texture to the palette.  two chairs in a pretty pop of light blue flanking the console can be pulled around for extra guests

7: a place for everything, and everything in it's place.  the big lacquered tray adds a bit of now to the more traditional furnishings.  the white keeps thing bright and fresh and helps the palette from feeling too dulled down.